Decorative garnishing material



Dec. 23, 1952 R. R. REEVES DECORATIVE GARNISHING MATERIAL Original Filed Feb. 21, 1949 @HV e. @E61/E5,

1N VEN TOR.

Patented Dec. 23, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DECORATIVE GARNISHING MATERIAL Ray R. Reeves, San Clemente, Calif.

Continuation of application Serial No. 77,505, February 21, 1949. This application September 28, 1950, Serial No. 187,211

Claims.

This invention relates to a decorative or garnishing material and to the method of manufacturing the same. The application is a continuation of my copending application Serial No. 77,505, filed February 21, 1949, now abandoned.

Heretofore, decorating or garnishing materials have been provided for decorating refrigerated meat and delicatessen showcases, store fixtures, and the like, consisting of sections of green sheet rubber which are died out and otherwise formed to resemble parsley leaves or similar greens. Such sections have been either clamped together in a sheet metal clip to form a base or have been mounted ina suitable holder. Usually the sheet rubber is folded before being clamped into the sheet metal base or is rolled before being mounted in the holder. One objection to decorative material of this character resides in the inability to thoroughly clean the material when cleaning is necessary due to the presence of the clamping sheet metal base that holds the material in position. The presence of the folds also prevents adequate cleaning in the cracks and crevices between the folds.

One object of the present invention is to provide an improved decorating or garnishing material of this character which is so designed that it may be easily and thoroughly cleaned whenever occasion requires.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method for manufacturing a material of this character enabling it to be extruded through a die in such a manner as to cause it to have a ruled appearance at its edges somewhat simulating parsley or similar greens.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, which will be made manifest in the following detailed description and specifically pointed out in the appended claims, reference is had to the accompanying drawings for an illustrative embodiment of the invention, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of decorative material embodying the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a somewhat diagrammatic sectional View of a portion of a rubber extruder or tuber used in manufacturing the material illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a rear View in elevation of the die used in manufacturing the material illustrated in Fig. 1, parts being broken away and shown in vertical section. This View may be regarded as having been taken approximately on the line 3-3 upon Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken substantially upon the line 4-4 upon Fig. 3.

Referring to the accompanying drawings wherein similar reference characters designate similar parts throughout, the decorative material illustrated in Fig. 1 is formed of green colored rubber or rubber-like material. While natural rubber could be used for this purpose, I fin-d it advantageous to use a mixture of synthetic rubbers which are colored by suitable pigment to render the mixture green in the case that a green decorative material is desired. This material should be of a consistency capable of being extruded through the die of any conventional form of rubber extruder or tuber.

The material illustrated in Fig. 1 consists of a longitudinally extending base I0 which may have a longitudinally extending passage or bore II formed therein. On the top of the base and integral therewith there are longitudinally extending fins. While the number of ns may vary I have illustrated the material as having three of such fins indicated at I2, I3, and I4. Each of these fins extends upwardly from the base in a slightly divergent manner with respect to each other and is preferably branched. Thus, the n I2 may carry two branches I5 and I6 and in a similar manner n I3 may carry two branches I 'I and I8. The branches for the n I4 are indicated at I9 and 20. These branches as well as the upper ends of the ns are ruffled and present edges which extend back and forth in a transverse direction across the lengths of the ns and branches, respectively. The base I0 may be formed without the passage II and can be made solid, but when the passage II is formed therein it may receive a stick of doweling 2| or the equivalent which may serve as a stiiener for the base. In lieu of the doweling a malleable metal wire may be employed which, when bent to shape, will retain the bent shape so as to hold the decorative material in a curved manner if this is desired.

The fins and the branches where they join each other are relatively smooth and straight so that whenever it is desired to clean the material it is merely necessary to bend a branch or a fin outwardly from the adjacent branch or iin enabling the juncture between the branches and ns and the juncture between the fins to be easily wiped clean or washed.

The material is made by means of a conventional rubber extruder or tuber wherein the rubber is forced by means of a rotating screw 25 through a die 26. This die may be mounted on the extruder in any conventional manner, and may or may not be heated. Usually in extruders of this type the die and the adjacent structure are heated by means of a surrounding heater to facilitate the proper flow of the rubber therethrough.

The die illustrated has an aperture 21 formed therein through which the base I is extruded and three slots indicated at 28, 29, and 30 are connected to theaperture 21 so as to form the fins I2, I3, and I4. rIhe slots 28, 29, and 30 are, in turn, branched so as to form the branches I5 to 20, inclusive, on the finished article.

As a means for retarding ow of the rubber through the aperture 21 a bar 3I may be mounted on the rear or inner face of the die so as to impede the fdow of rubber through the aperture 21 and to cause the rate of ow through the aperture to be substantially equal to the rate of iow through the slots 28, 29, and 30 and the lower ends of the branches thereof. This bar may carry a pin 32 which constitutes a core extending through the aperture 21 and which cores out the passage II. The ruffled edges of the ns and branches-are obtained by drilling or otherwise Vforming recesses 33 on the inner faceV of the die opposite Athe outer ends vof the f i'insv and branches. These recesses reduce the ends of the slots 28, 29, and 3%, and opposite the outer ends of the branches connected thereto. Otheresmall recesses 34 may be formed along the lengths of the vslots 2S, 29, and 3Q so as to equalize the ilow of rubber through the lower or inner ends of the slots to the ow of rubber throughv the aperture 21. rThus, the rubber is extruded through the die at substantially the same speed through the aperture 21 as -well as through the inner ends of the slots 28, 23, and 3b, and the inner ends of the branches of these slots. However, due tothe depth of the recesses 33 the rubber is permitted to flow through the outer ends of the slots 28, 23, and 3E) and through the outer ends of the branchesV at a materially higher rate, This'rate may be from two to twoI and one-half, or even three, times the rate at which the rubber is extruded through the aperture 21 and the slots 28, 29, and 3). Consequently, due to the decided inequality in the rate of flow the o-uter ends-of the ns and of the branches will take on the ruiiled appearance shown in Fig. 1 on passing through the die. It is not essential that the ruiiles be absolutely uniform on all branches and ns, and in some instances, the rate of flow through the outer end of one fin or branch may be Somewhat higher or lower than that of others. formation of ruies on the `various fins and branches is produced which breaks the monotony of a highly uniform arrangement.

It is of course common practice in Vextruding various materials to take corrective steps in theY die so that all p-ortions of the extruded-article will ilow through the die at the same rate so as to avoid waves. This is accomplished by either drilling recesses such as the recesses 34 inrelatively thin openings throughthe die and impeding the `flow through relatively thick or wide openings through the die such as by the bar 3I. However, heretofore the effort has uniformly been to promote uniform flow through all portions ofv the die. In the present instance, however, while- When this occurs a somewhat staggeredA thickness of the die materially opposite the outer uniformity is desirable in the formation of the base Ill the inner or lower ends of the ns I2, I3, and I4, and the inner or lower ends of the branches, non-uniformity of a high degree is desired at the outer ends of the nsand branches in order to produce the ruiiied or wavy appearanceontheir edges.

It will be appreciated that the improved article of manufacture may be advantageously used as an articial substitute for parsley or other greens, and forms a simple but highly decorative material Yand that as the material can be continuously and quickly extruded it may be produced in indenite lengths and cut to the desired length. Anygself-curing rubber or rubber-like material maytbe used and the term rubber as hereinafter employed is intended to apply to any rubber or rubber substitute.

While the invention has been described primarily with' the manufacture of a garnishing material, it will be appreciated. that it may be employed for other purposes, such as for example in the construction of bath mats andthe like, where a ruiiied edge cna flexible rubber material is desired.

Various' changes may be made in the details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as dei-ined by the appended claims.

I claim:

LAAS a new article of rubber manufacturea longitudinally extending oase having Yintegral therewith a plurality of longitudinally extending fins, the edges ofwhich'are decidedly ruffIed.

2. As a newarticle of rubber manufacture, a longitudinally extending base having integral therewith one or more longitudinally extending branched-fins, the edges of the fins and of the branches being decidedlyruffied.

3. As anew article of vdecorative rubber material, a longitudinallyextending base Yhaving a longitudinal aperture therein, said base having integral therewith one or more longitudinally extending iins'having integral branches, the edges of the Afins and'branches being decidedly ruffled.V

Il.v As a new article ofrubber manufacture a longitudinally extending base having integral therewith a plurality of longitudinally extending fins, Athe Yedges ofthe fins being laterally ruffled, and the ns inwardlyof'the rues being longitudinally -flat or straight.

5. Asa new article 'of rubber manufacture, a longitudinally extending base having integral therewith one or more longitudinally extending branched ns, the edges of the fins and of the branches being laterally rufiled'but the branches and fins inwardly of the ruied portions being longitudinally flat;

RAY R. REEVES.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,095,564 Gleason; Oct. 12, 1937 2,502,772 Winstead Apr. 4, y1950 

